This invention relates to a grappling device for a material handling apparatus and improvements of the same. More specifically, this invention relates to an extendable and retractable grappling device on a material handling apparatus which expands the useful operation thereof.
In construction and agricultural operations, it is common practice to use an apparatus known as a "front-end loader" or a "bucket loader", which consists of a large bucket mounted and extending transversely on the front of a tractor. The bucket is used to transfer dirt, stones and loose material. While front-end loaders have a wide range of functions in connection with material handling, their use is nevertheless limited.
For example, operators often confront the need to pickup brush, logs, round hay bales and like objects which do not fit or remain balanced within the bucket holding area. Various art forms attempt to address shortcomings in front-end loaders. For example, the John-Deer Bale and Silage Grapple, the Kubota Grapple Bucket and the Massey Ferguson Grapple Forks permanently attach a grappling device to a front-end loader bucket. A grappling device works in cooperation with a bucket loader and holds awkward loads within the bucket.
While such grappling arm designs allow for the handling of a wider range of material, the grappling arms create both a physical and a visual obstruction to the normal operation of the loader bucket. In a non-use position, the grappling device interferes with an operator's sight. Further, in both a non-use and use position, the grappling device is subject to damage by abnormal forces and loads.
In order to overcome such obstructions, storable devices which mount on the bucket of a front-end loader have been suggested. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,403,906 and 4,155,473 disclose front-end loaders comprising a clamp arm attached to the bucket of a material handling apparatus. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,947 discloses a front-end loader which includes a loading fork mounted on a bucket, which may be stored to or retracted from the rear side of a bucket. The shortcoming of such concepts includes their limited application and failure to address considerations inherent in more useful handling apparatus.
Thus a need remains for storable handling devices that expand the functions of a material handling apparatus without interfering with the operator's view or the normal operation of a bucket.